REGION: Local students perform well on state tests

Temecula Valley and Murrieta Valley are the top-performing school districts in Riverside County on California's standardized tests, according to results released Friday by the state Department of Education.

Temecula Valley Unified had 77 percent of its students score proficient or higher in English-language arts and 62 percent score proficient or better in math.

For Murrieta Valley Unified, 71 percent were at least proficient in English and 59 percent in math.

The Lake Elsinore Unified and Perris Union High school districts each showed improvement in both core subjects, English and math. Menifee Union School District was up in English but down in math and the Romoland School District dropped in both subjects.

The state report is based on multiple-choice tests administered to students in grades two through 11 each spring. Students are divided into five categories based on how well they did on the tests, from far below basic to advanced.

Scores in the top two levels ---- proficient and advanced ---- are considered passing.

The tests measure how well students know California's content standards, which describe what students should know for each grade and subject tested.

He said overcoming growing class sizes, a large number of classes that mix grades and teachers in new posts will be a challenge this year.

"The primary message is to continue doing everything (we) did last year in math and in English-language arts, we have to do a little more," he said.

History scores dipped in almost every district. Romero said that could be an anomaly in the test or it could be caused by educators' strong emphasis on English and math.

Riverside County as a whole has seen improved performance each year since the current STAR assessment system was launched in 2003.

The county's gains in the English-language arts led all comparable California counties and its increase in mathematics was third-best in that peer group.

"We want a high quality of life for all Riverside County residents. That will require high-quality education," Riverside County Superintendent of Schools Kenneth Young said in a prepared statement. "This kind of sustained improvement in our test scores shows our schools are focused on creating the educational culture we need to reach that aim."

Some 325,000 Riverside County second- through 11th-grade students participated in the 2012 STAR program.

Fifty-six percent scored proficient or better in English-language arts and 49 percent were proficient or better in mathematics.

That's a 3 percentage point increase in English and a 1 percentage point gain in math, which mirrors results for the entire state. Throughout California, some 4.7 million students participated in the STAR program, with 57 percent scoring proficient or above in English-language arts and 51 percent scoring at proficient or above in mathematics, the highest percentage since the tests were fully aligned in 2003 to content standards.

"In less than a decade, California has gone from having only one student in three score proficient to better than one student in two," State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson stated in a news release. "That's nearly 900,000 more students reaching proficiency now than in 2003 ---- a remarkable achievement that represents real, sustained improvements in learning."